TEACHER’S STARTLING REVELATION TO MINISTER: MOST PUPILS HAVE STIS IN THIS SCHOOL

MBABANE – “This is a very serious Cabinet matter.”

The aforementioned comments were made by the Ministry of Education and Training Under Secretary (US) Schools Manager, Lungelo Nhlengetfwa, following a startling revelation by a Career Guidance teacher of one of the schools in the capital city, who reported that most learners were affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

This was during the tour of schools by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Prince Simelane, yesterday.  The school will not be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. Nhlengetfwa, who was left puzzled by the report, said the matter was beyond the Ministry of Education and Training’s control.

He said they needed to first file reports in Cabinet, after which, the matter would be taken over by the Deputy Prime Minister’s (DPM) Office. “The DPM will then report the matter to the prime minister (PM), for his intervention,” he said. The US stated that the matter required immediate attention from the DPM’s Office, to decide on a solution.

The Career Guidance teacher said they were facing challenges with children of police officers, who formed a majority of the school’s enrolment. The teacher mentioned that the police officers worked in shifts, which exposed their children to negative influences, as they were left alone for prolonged periods of time.

Intercourse

These children, she said, engaged in sexual intercourse and, at times, while one officer was on duty, their colleague would use the opportunity to engage in sexual intercourse with the other’s child. She said as a Career Guidance teacher, she came across learners who contracted STIs and revealed that they (learners) had sexual intercourse with their parents’ roommates. She mentioned that when there was no food, a roommate would request sexual favours to offer the child something to eat. She pleaded with the minister to do something about this.

When the teacher was asked why she had not reported the matter, she said she was barred by the confidentiality clause from reporting the issue to the head teacher or anyone else. Another concern raised by the teacher was that of drugs and alcohol abuse in the school, adding that children of police officers were the worst culprits.

“These children sleep together in the lounge and it becomes chaotic, as both boys and girls share the same bed,” she explained. She appealed for assistance from the minister’s team, adding that both primary and high school pupils were affected by these issues and needed help. The teacher said another contributing factor was hunger, as the pupils came to school on empty stomachs.

“The Career Guidance office is no longer coping, especially regarding the issue of drugs and alcohol,” she added. The teacher said there were close-by places, where the learners sourced the drugs, during short breaks and lunchtime. Most of the time, the teacher said, they found themselves teaching drunk children.

Again, she was asked if she had reported the matter, and the teacher stated they were not allowed to report it, as they were guided by the confidentiality clause. She mentioned that they normally dealt with the cases internally and provided assistance to the children in treating the STIs and also providing counselling. “We do not report to the police, because we act as guardians,” she said.

She said they realised that there was a criminal element involved, but they did not report such issues. As Career Guidance teachers, she said, they were only allowed to ‘clean their house’. However, she said they engaged the parents on some critical cases. She said most of the parents were male and were reluctant to act on the issues, even after being told about them.

Guiding

She said in most cases,  they found themselves helping the children and guiding them. Pressed further on what they then did when the child continued to go through the same challenges, she said they then suggested ways of moving them to safer places. Meanwhile, Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Lindiwe Mbingo said the matter was huge and they had recorded everything. Mbingo said they would definitely follow-up on it, as it needed urgent attention.

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